Vadayar Elamkavu Devi Temple Festival Near Vaikom – Vadayar Attuvela Utsavam At Elamkavu Devi Temple
Vadayar Elamkavu Devi Temple is located at Vadayar in Kottayam
District in Kerala. The famous festival is the Attuvela in the Meenam month. The shrine is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathi or Devi
in a fierce form. The shrine is located around 9 km from Vaikom.
Two main festivals are held here. One is the flag hosting festival held in the month of February that lasts for eight days in Kumbha month (February - March). Other is the famous 2 day Elamkavu Attuvela Mahotsavam (water carnival), observed in Malayalam Meenam month (March-April) which is a unique festival celebration through the river water.
The Attuvela is observed on the Ashwathy and the Bharani Nakshatra in Meenam month.
According to legend, the Attuvela festival is a welcome ceremony for the Goddess of Kodungalloor, who comes to visit her sister, the Goddess of Elamkavu. During the two-day Attuvela, beautifully illuminated canoes, carrying a huge replica of the temple, sail down the waters accompanied by hordes of colourfully decorated small canoes and temple percussion music. The procession of canoes starts from the Attuvela Kadavu, 2 km away from the temple.
The main deity in the temple faces west. The upa devatas worshipped in the temple are Khandkarna, Nagaraja and Ganapathy. There is a 'pana' outside the temple walls associated with Yakshi.
Legend has it that the Goddess worshipped in the temple was brought from Kodungallur after the Vadakkumkoor kingdom faced numerous problems. Thus it is believed that Elamkavu Bhagavathy is the sister
of Kodungallur Bhagavathy.
It is believed that the murti of the Devi was first kept down at the Attuvela Kadavu which is around 3 km from the temple.